VG-10 Stainless Steel for Knife Blades

VG-10 Stainless Steel

Manufacturer: Takefu Special Steel

VG-10 is a popular knife steel used extensively by Spyderco. VG-10 is short for V Gold 10, and is manufactured exclusively by Takefu Special Steel in Japan. VG-10 is quite unique in it's composition using Molybdenum, Cobalt and Vanadium in the mixture. VG-10 is typically hardened to anywhere from RC 58-61.

According to Takefu, the Cobalt makes the substrate stronger, and the addition of Moly and Vanadium form harder carbides increasing the wear resistance and thus improving edge retention. Additionally, VG-10 has excellent corrosion resistance, making it a fantastic all-round steel comparible to CPM 154CM but cheaper to manufacture.

Aside from Spyderco, other companies using VG-10 including Fallkniven, Sog, and Kershaw Shun Kitchen knives. VG-10 in particular seems to be used a lot in laminated steels as in the case of Fallkniven and the Kershaw Shun. A.G. Russell also has a set of kitchen knives that resemble the Kershaw Shun. This may be because Takefu produces this steel in laminated forms making it readily available.